“I feel hope inside myself. That’s why I paint. I’ll paint today, too.”
This is a book of picture essays by artist Jang Ho, who passed away in 2014. The book consists of 116 drawings and 16 diaries compiled in chronological order, which Jang Ho created while battling cancer for a year, from May of 2013 when he was diagnosed with oral cancer until May of the next year when he died. It contains the process of one man’s fear and eventual acceptance of death, and the beautiful and precious things he discovered at the end of his life. There is a self-portrait of his face, a part of which was lost during surgery, a drawing of endlessly falling raindrops, and a portrait of the back of his wife who fell asleep while nursing him. These paintings reveal sadness and pain, but many more of the drawings in the book were painted in the hope that love and unforgettable moments would be remembered. Most of the drawings in the book were drawn while in his hospital bed with multi-color ballpoint pens and brush pens, but despite these simple tools, the artist’s efforts are clear. The artist’s desperation in search of the meaning of existence, drawing till the last moment, and his endeavor to find joy and the preciousness of life even at the brink of death, will move readers.